Gear alignment

ABSTRACT

Guide ring arranged coaxially with a drive shaft includes locating and locking features ensuring proper orientation of drive and driven shafts, also ensuring proper backlash between gears mounted thereon. Guide ring is inserted through a keyed aperture of a mounting bracket and brought into proximity with the driven shaft frame. Rotation of motor and guide ring in first direction draws shafts into alignment; mounting bracket is attached to driven shaft frame. Motor and guide ring then rotated in opposite direction to second extreme position in which the motor is locked and driven shaft can rotate freely.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] A consistent problem with assembling gear trains is proper alignment of the gears in the train. Typically, the assembler will have to use multiple tools to perform adjustments to the train once it is assembled. If such adjustments are not made, then improper backlash can result, causing excessive wear and premature failure of the gears involved.

[0002] Further, the conventional assembly of a motor pinion gear, within backlash tolerance, to a driven gear when the driven gear is mounted on a live shaft and electrically biased requires having either too much backlash or the need for an assembly tool. Past designs incorporated brackets, cantilevered shafts, and set-up/alignment tools to ensure proper pinion to gear mesh. As many as three tolerances are added together to determine the gear mesh backlash in prior art systems, which allows the introduction of too much error into the assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] To aid the assembler, embodiments include a locating or guide ring coaxial with the drive shaft on the motor frame and on the same centerline as the pinion gear. The motor/locator is captured into the motor mounting bracket but has the ability to rotate through arcs, such as arcs of, for example, about 30 degrees. This allows the motor assembly to rotate on the motor mounting bracket and, with the guide ring, capture an extension of the driven gear shaft to set the proper center distance. Rotating the motor back disengages the locator from the driven shaft, and continuing to rotate the motor locks the motor relative to the motor bracket for final assembly. As a result, the number of tolerances is reduced, the motor and bracket can be shipped in a partially assembled state and, during manufacturing, the motor and bracket can be assembled in two steps without the need for an alignment tool/feature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0004]FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment from behind a motor frame.

[0005]FIG. 2 is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment from behind a motor mounting bracket.

[0006]FIG. 3 is a perspective exploded view of an embodiment from behind a motor mounting bracket.

[0007]FIG. 4 is a schematic of an assembled embodiment.

[0008]FIG. 5 is another schematic of an assembled embodiment.

[0009]FIG. 6 is a schematic of an assembled embodiment not showing the driven shaft and gear.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Embodiments include a locating or guide ring 20 on the motor frame 10 and on the same centerline as the drive shaft 11 of a motor. The guide ring 20 is captured into the motor mounting bracket 30 by, for example, a keyed aperture 31, but can rotate through arcs as large as about 30 degrees. This allows the motor assembly, including the motor frame 10 and drive shaft 11, to rotate on the motor mounting bracket 30 and capture an extension of a driven shaft 41 to set the proper center distance between the shafts 11, 41 and their centerlines. Rotating the motor assembly back disengages the locating feature 21 from the driven shaft 41. As a result, the motor and bracket can be shipped in a partially assembled state and, during manufacturing, the motor and bracket can be assembled in two steps without the need for an alignment tool/feature.

[0011] As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the guide ring 20 has two ears 21, 22 projecting from its outer circumferential surface. One ear 21 includes a locating feature that engages the driven gear shaft. The other ear 22 includes a detent or snap feature, such as a button, to snap the motor mounting bracket to the motor when desired. The locating feature can be, for example, a pilot diameter that can accommodate an end of the driven shaft 41 for alignment, or it can be, as an additional example, a pocket in the ear 21 that is sized to capture and align the driven shaft 41, placing it in the proper orientation for the drive and driven gears to mesh.

[0012] In embodiments, the guide ring 20 is attached to the motor frame 10, such as by a press fit. In other embodiments, the guide ring 20 is formed integrally with and as one piece with the motor frame 10, such as by casting, milling, or stamping during manufacture of the motor frame 10. There is enough space between the motor frame 10 and the ears 21, 22 of the guide ring 20 for the thickness of the mounting bracket 30.

[0013] The driven shaft includes, in embodiments, a short shaft extension concentric to the driven shaft to allow location and alignment between the bracket 30 and the driven shaft. The extension need not be very long and can be on the order of, for example, about a few millimeters. The motor assembly remains piloted by the outside diameter of the guide ring onto the mounting bracket, but the snap feature on the second ear 22 can inhabit and travel in a groove in the bracket to prevent disassembly after being snapped onto the motor.

[0014] The bracket 30 includes, in embodiments, an aperture 31 keyed for engagement and aligning the ears 21, 22 on the guide ring 20, thus allowing the user to affix the motor on the bracket 30 by rotating the motor in the pilot diameter of the bracket 30 and snapping the button into the bracket groove. The bracket 30 loosely mounts to the driven shaft frame/support so that the motor can be rotated about the driven shaft axis, bringing the locating feature in engagement with the shaft extension to ensure proper backlash in the mesh between the drive gear 12 and the driven gear 42. The bracket can then be fixed to the driven gear frame/support and the motor can be counter-rotated to disengage the locating feature, moving it away from the locating diameter of the driven gear and solidly mounting the motor on the bracket 30.

[0015] Embodiments can have the locating feature and snap feature or detent as part of the motor frame as shown, for example, in FIG. 3. In such instances, the bracket 30 includes an aperture 31 through which the guide ring 20 extends. A locating slot that allows a shoulder screw to retain the motor on the bracket and also allow the motor to rotate about its output shaft to two fixed positions at the extreme ends of the slot. The assembly process would be substantially the same as for embodiments having the locating feature and snap feature or detent on the guide ring. The bracket with the motor assembly attached is loosely assembled to the driven shaft's frame. The motor assembly is then rotated about the output gear axis to a first extreme position in which the locating feature on the motor frame engages the driven shaft. This sets the proper center distance between the driver and the driven gear and proper backlash results. At this point, the bracket is fixed to the driven gear frame. The motor assembly is then rotated from this first extreme position, back through the initial position, and on to a second extreme position in which the detent or snap feature solidly attaches the motor to the bracket. The rotation also introduces clearance between the driven shaft and the locating feature.

[0016] Other modifications of the present invention may occur to those skilled in the art subsequent to a review of the present application, and these modifications, including equivalents thereof, are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. 

1. A self-aligning motor mount comprising: a driving gear mounted on a drive shaft selectively driven by a motor; a guide ring coaxially arranged about the drive shaft; an ear projecting from an outer circumference of the guide ring; a motor mounting bracket including an aperture through which the drive shaft and the guide ring extend and that interacts with the two ears; and the ear including a locating feature that engages a driven shaft when the motor is rotated from an initial position in a first direction, thus aligning the drive and driven shafts, and disengages the driven shaft when the motor is rotated back to the initial position.
 2. The mount of claim 1 further comprising another ear projecting from the outer circumference of the guide ring and including a locking feature that, when the motor is rotated from the initial position in a second direction, positively affixes the motor to the motor mounting bracket.
 3. The mount of claim 1 wherein the driven shaft supports a driven gear that meshes with and is driven by the driving gear.
 4. The mount of claim 1 wherein the motor mounting bracket includes a guide slot into which the locking feature projects and in which the locking feature travels when the motor is rotated.
 5. The mount of claim 1 wherein the guide ring is a separate part that is attached to a motor frame.
 6. The mount of claim 1 wherein the guide ring is formed integrally with and as a single piece with a motor frame.
 7. The mount of claim 1 wherein the locating feature is a pilot diameter of the guide ring.
 8. A self-aligning motor mount comprising: a driving gear mounted on a drive shaft selectively driven by a motor; a guide ring coaxially arranged about the drive shaft; an ear projecting from an outer circumference of the guide ring; a motor mounting bracket including an aperture through which the drive shaft and the guide ring extend and that interacts with the two ears; and an ear projecting from the outer circumference of the guide ring and including a locking feature that, when the motor is rotated from an initial position in a first direction, positively affixes the motor to the motor mounting bracket.
 9. The mount of claim 8 further comprising another ear projecting from the outer circumference of the guide ring and including a locating feature that engages a driven shaft when the motor is rotated from the initial position in a second direction, thus aligning the drive and driven shafts, and disengages the driven shaft when the motor is rotated back to the initial position.
 10. The mount of claim 8 wherein the motor mounting bracket includes a guide slot into which the locking feature projects and in which the locking feature travels when the motor is rotated.
 11. The mount of claim 8 wherein the guide ring is a separate part that is attached to a motor frame.
 12. The mount of claim 8 wherein the guide ring is formed integrally with and as a single piece with a motor frame.
 13. The mount of claim 8 wherein the locating feature is a pilot diameter of the guide ring.
 14. A method comprising: providing a motor with a drive shaft and a frame; providing a motor mounting bracket; providing a guide ring coaxially with the drive shaft on the motor frame; inserting the guide ring into the motor mounting bracket in an initial position; rotating the motor and drive shaft in a first direction to align the drive shaft; attaching the motor mounting bracket to a driven gear frame; returning the motor and drive shaft to the initial position; and rotating the motor and drive shaft in a second direction to lock the motor to the motor mounting bracket.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein providing the guide ring comprises attaching the guide ring to the motor frame.
 16. The method of claim 14 wherein providing the guide ring comprises forming the guide ring integrally and as one piece with the motor frame.
 17. A self-aligning motor mount comprising: a driving gear mounted on a drive shaft selectively driven by a motor; a guide ring arranged coaxially about the drive shaft on a motor frame to form a motor assembly; two ears projecting from an outer circumference of the guide ring; a motor mounting bracket comprising: an aperture through which the motor and guide ring extend, a snap feature; and a locating slot; a first of the two ears comprising a locating feature that selectively engages a driven shaft; and a second of the two ears comprising a button that travels in the locating slot between two extreme positions and snaps the motor onto the motor mounting bracket when it reaches one of the two extreme positions, thereby limiting rotational movement of the motor relative to the bracket.
 18. The mount of claim 17 wherein the first ear's locating feature engages the driven shaft when the motor is rotated to another of the two extreme positions.
 19. The mount of claim 18 assembled according to the method of claim
 14. 20. The mount of claim 18 wherein the aperture has a particular shape that accommodates the ears of the guide ring and ensures insertion of the guide ring through the aperture in the initial position. 